


Screaming Cold

by D_Adrienn



Series: The Hopeless Madmen [1]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Blood and Gore, Cold Weather, Fear, Multi, Swearing, Trust Issues, secrecy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-10-21 18:40:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17647859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D_Adrienn/pseuds/D_Adrienn
Summary: The quest was simple. Go to Zul'Drak, find the Page of the Codex, maybe beat up some undead trolls among the way, then go home and live happily ever after - until the next quest. At least that was what Ella hoped for. But, unfortunately, and predictably, that was not what happened. Instead she got stuck in a blizzard, so half of her party decided to go and find the Page by themselves, and when she finally arrived at the meeting point, the only one waiting for her was the Death Knight troll, Najin, who could be called many things, but friendly and trusting isn't one of them. Not only they don't get along, but they seemingly can't fight alongside each other without one of them saying something that makes the other want to hit them instead. To make matters even worse, the ruins of the fallen empire hide many unforeseen horrors, and some of them are more patient than others.Waiting for the perfect moment to strike, the predator plays with its food, until the unsuspecting prey falls, left alone in the cold, white snow.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> English isn't my first language. So, if you find any kind of typos or grammatical errors, please, feel free to let me know!

   Shadow's amber eyes watched the raging blizzard through the window of the inn's common room. The white snow had covered the usually green landscape of Grizzly Hills in a matter of minutes. The pines were the only things not dressed in white entirely, their darker color flashing out from under their new coat of cold.

   The direwolf huffed, ears perked, she could hear the sound of the howling wind outside, even through the thick walls of the building. She wished she could run around in the newly fallen snow, but her friend was still asleep, and she wouldn't leave her side in an unfamiliar place like this, not even for the persistent call of her instincts, telling her that she didn't belong here, locked inside, but out there, where freedom and loneliness walked side by side. Memories of her former life surfaced, when she was the alpha of her own pack, leading her family from one hunting ground to another, until that day came, when she was fatally injured, left behind by her pack. She had given up on life, and when a choice was presented before her, a choice between dying free or living by trusting in something other than her own kind, she was hesitant, at first. 

   But, in the end, she made her decision, all those years ago. And she would stick to it, until the very end. Now, not only gratitude was what she felt towards her friend, but something more, something a direwolf couldn't think up a name for, but a human would most likely call it love.

   So, she stayed where she was, waiting, watching, and listening. The people of the inn had grown accustomed to her presence, doing their own thing without paying too much mind to her, only occasionally glancing at the massive beast that was sitting in front of one of the windows, looking out with mild interest, only turning an ear towards them whenever a door opened, or someone passed by her. A night elf hunter even mentioned that he had never seen a direwolf as calm in such a cramped environment as that one.

   - I don't know much about wolves, but the hunter she belongs to is a really kind woman. - said the innkeeper, placing a plate of cheese, sausage, and bread, along with a mug of ale in front of the night elf - She gave me quite the generous tip. And she only asked me to... Oh, darn it!

   She suddenly dashed towards the stairs that led to the guest rooms upstairs, leaving the hunter alone with his lunch and his questioning gaze.

   - Oh well. - he turned back towards the table, taking one last look at the direwolf that was watching the red haired woman with visible mistrust in her eyes. - Hey - he called gently, but the beast didn't even glanced at him. Sighing, he cut a piece off the sausage, and tossed it in front of the animal, making it now look at _him_ with mistrust - Don't worry. She isn't a threat. And neither am I.

   The black direwolf didn't touch the sausage until the innkeeper came back down and the hunter left the building.

 

***

 

   Ella was awakened by someone's furious knocking at her door. Trapped in her blankets, she yelled - I'M COMING, hold your horses... - in a horse voice, making herself instantly cough. Her mouth tasted horrible, and her head was pounding. She didn't remember ever feeling this bad waking up. She must have hit a new low.

   - Miss? I'm sorry, but I forgot to wake you up. It's almost noon - came the embarrassed voice from the other side of the wooden door.

   It took a few moments for this information to register in the woman's sleep-induced mind.

   But when it did, it did with a bang.

   -  WHAT?!

   Practically jumping out of the bed, she started packing like an absolute madwoman. Scrolls, maps, clothes, and everything she took out of her bag yesterday, was unceremoniously tossed into said bag. She almost put her shirt on upside-down, and couldn't find her right shoe - I'm late, I'm so fucking late... They are gonna eat me alive when I get there...

   - Err, Miss? Is everything alright?

   She refused to answer, in order to _not_ scream at the woman. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves, which wasn't the easiest thing to do, considering the circumstances.

_Think happy thoughts, think about something good..._

   This was the moment when she looked out the window, and saw nothing but white.

   - Miss..?

   - It's snowing?!

   - Yes, it started a couple of minutes ago.

   The red haired woman took a step back when the door suddenly opened, revealing the half-dressed hunter, whose face made the innkeeper wish she wasn't so forgetful.

   - How bad is it?

   - It's probably going to die down soon...

   - Please, answer the question.

   - It's a blizzard.

   After a few seconds of awkward silence, the hunter closed her eyes in defeat.

   - So the flight master won't give me a griff, correct?

   - I'm afraid the answer is yes...

   The door was instantly shut. Outside, the innkeeper went back down to the common room, head hanging in shame. Inside, Ella, finished dressing up, then picked up her bag to search for her crystal, fishing out the jewelry from the madness that now resided inside.

    She had to warn the party that she won't be able to make it there today. Warming the silver colored crystal in her hand, she waited for it to become blue, but even after a few minutes passed, nothing changed. 

   - Come on, work!

   No matter how long she waited, it didn't work.

   Letting her anger finally out, she tossed the crystal across the room. The gem made connection with the wall, only letting out an almost silent _thud_ , thenit fell to the carpet without another sound. It didn't break, of course, the damned thing was near indestructible. _If only it would be as reliable..._

   Impatient scratching made her head turn towards the door, and her mood was instantly raised by a notch.

   - Slow down buddy, I'm coming!

   Letting the direwolf into her room, she ruffled her black fur as she passed by her.

   - It's okay, Shadow, I'm just angry.

   The animal still sniffed around the room, checking if there was any danger. After not finding anything, she looked at her friend with a look of boredom.

   - What, you wished there was something to bite into? Don't worry, we will get you something that we can tear apart together. We can't depart in this storm, but the doesn't mean we can't hunt something. 

   Ella picked up her coat, bow and queer of arrows, then took one last look at the crystal that laid on the ground, still grey in color.

   - Oh boy, I will regret this so bad...

   Not long after the hunter and her direwolf left the room, the crystal slowly turned to blue, only to go back to grey not a moment later.

   Such an unreliable things those crystals were...

 

***

 

   Yena  shook her crystal in anger, but she couldn't stop it from turning back from blue again.

   - Oh, the Naaru...

   - Don't fret it lad! This weather is terrible! It's probably what's making it not work.

   - Still, I have a bad feeling about this Frenca.

   - Yeah, me too, lad. Me too.

   The two woman stared at the fire that Frenca made not too long ago when the sun set, and it became insanely cold. They were taking refuge from the storm in an old drakkari tower, its walls thick, dark, and foreboding. It made both of them nervous for some unknown reason. _Maybe it's the history this place had_ , thought the dwarf woman, listening for the voice of the stone, but alas, it remained silent, but she felt its presence. It was as if like it would want to speak, but its too afraid to do so.

   The draenei warrior was staring at the open doorway, and raging blizzard outside. The fire was warm, but the cold she felt when looking out almost conquered it. 

   - I loathe this place - she said sincerely, and Frenca agreed in a silent nod - I swear, I could hear the ghosts of the dead whispering...

   - Let's hope you are just imagining things. Cause if there are ghosts here, I doubt they would be friendly.

   - What about the spirits? Do they say anything?

   - No. Everything is so quiet. But not the good kind of. - Frenca started looking through her backpack, then, with a wild smile, she pulled out a flask of some sorts - What do you think, lad? Should we lighten up the mood a little?

   The draenei looked at the flask with slight worry.

   - What's inside?

   - Nothing _too_ strong. Just a little rum. Got it from a good friend of mine - she opened the flask, and its smell almost immediately hit Yena's nose. 

   - I doubt this would be wise.

   - Bah! Nonsense. I see you shivering there lad, even right next to the fire. Come on, take a sip!

   - No, thank you.

   - Well, more for me then!

   The warrior watched how the dwarf nearly finished the full flask in a single swing. Again, it made her curious, how this race didn't die out completely by alcohol poisoning a long, long time ago.

   With a deep sigh, she looked back at the door, and was on her feet not a second later, shield in one hand, sword in another. Frenca did the same, one of her totems in her hands, ready to blast anyone who dared to attack them, although she was swaying a little, and had no idea where to cast a spell. 

   Yena watched as the figure she spotted moving through the storm come slowly towards them. Her gripped tightened in around her sword as she focused on the shape, then, with a sigh, she lowered her weapons again.

   - It's just Najin. Sorry, I overreacted.

   - Eh, no worries, lad! We are both on edge. Although I kinda wish it was something that I can actually lit on fire! He is so cold, it would probably take Ragnarok himself to fry him!

   Yena laughed at the joke, than felt bad right after. It wasn't the troll's fault he was so...

   Well, cold.

   - You should probably put away your totem. He would get the impression that you _do_ want to burn him.

   - Maybe I will, if he comes back with bad news.

   - We will see.

   They were waiting in silence as the looming figure of the Death Knight approached their make-shift camp. Frenca would lie if she said the the scene didn't make her nervous. Not only was the troll a former member of the Scourge, who probably killed countless innocents while he was under the Lich King's control, but he was an ice troll as well, something that Frenca was afraid of ever since she was a little girl. Her grandmother used to tell her stories about them, to keep her from ever wandering around their territory, which worked, since still, to this very day, their mere sight made her anxious, even though she had faced much more terrifying things since then.

   And the fact that Najin wasn't one of the kindest of souls didn't help either.

   - I checked da path that leads to Grizzly Hills. There is no sign of her. - he said when he came close enough for them to hear him, never putting one uncovered, blue feet into the tower. He stood outside, in the blizzard, his black armor in stark contrast with the white snow - Did you have any luck?

   - The crystal's not working. Frenca thinks it's probably because of the weather, but I'm not sure.

   The troll huffed, but no warm breath came out of his mouth. Frenca took another sip of her rum, doing her best to not stare at the Death Knight, and Yena sighed.

   - Well, we can't do anything, but wait. 

   - We shouldn't wait for long. Zul'Drak's big - and da Page is tiny.

   - You say we should leave Ella behind?

   - We made a plan - the troll turned his back on them, and Yena was slightly relieved that she didn't have to stare into those cold, lifeless blue eyes -, if da human can't follow it, it's her fault. We can't linger here, hoping that she would appear. We are gaining too much attention! 

   - But we are a team! Asmira said we _all_ have to be here! - Yena stood up, her armor clattering. The troll looked back at her over his shoulder, and they stared at each other for a few moments. Frenca suddenly burped, making both tall, blue skinned party members look at her. 

   She just shrugged, and tossed a twig into the fire.

   - Go or not go - does it really matter? And who said we have to be together? We can split up. One of us stays behind, while the other two search. What do you say lads?

   - I think that's a good alternative.

   - Maybe that's the best strategy.

   - Great! Hic! - the dwarf smiled widely, revealing her slightly uneven teeth - Then Yena and I will go tomorrow, and...

   - I did not agree to that!

   - But I think that's for the best too. - Yena said - The one who probably could be the safest here left alone is you Najin. You are the best fighter among us, after all.

   - I beg to differ - Frenca was silenced by a nudge on the leg - But it's, yeah, the best plan, ever!

   Najin looked at them with slight irritation, but then he shrugged, picking up his sword that he planted into the frozen ground.

   - If you two want it this way... so be it. But I warn you two - he raised his head, and the glance that he gave them made them shiver. It was as if the fire beside them didn't even exist - If that human gets on my nerves, I won't hesitate to leave her to die in the snow. The responsibility is yours.

   With that, he lifted his sword, balancing it on his right shoulder pad, then turned around to disappear into the blizzard yet again. 

   - Wait, where are you going? - Yena yelled after him.

   - I'm going to go and check if there is a blond corpse anywhere in the snow!

   The howling wind was laughing at them, especially at him. Najin could almost feel the eyes, watching him depart from the others, the same eyes that had been watching them since they stepped into the ruins of what his mother once called home.

   A long, long time ago, he wished he could see the glorious Drakkari Empire with his own eyes, as how his mother talked about it, but now, that he was here, he wished for nothing more than to get out of this cursed land as soon as possible.

   But he had a feeling, that things won't go as smoothly as they should. 

   They never do.


	2. Chapter 2

   Standing next to the flight master, Ella buried her freezing hands into the warm fur of her direwolf. It was early, a few minutes before dawn, and the snowing had finally stopped. It was going on all day and night, and she simply couldn't sleep, although the hunting she did to pass the time tired her out greatly. She and Shadow were able to catch a deer and brought it back to Amberpine Lodge, where she got a nice pay for the meat and the skin. Running around in the snow was something that she was never really fond of, but at least she made a profit of it.

   Hopefully, she can use that profit to finally get a damned griff. If not, she will rent or buy a horse and ride all the way to Zul'Drak. It will take her ages, but she will get there eventually. 

   - This whole thing is a disaster - Ella sighed, watching the woman checking on the griffins, looking sometimes up to the sky, as if she was searching for some kind of sign of what kind of weather is going to be. She did all of this extremely slowly, almost ticking of Ella multiple times when it looked like everything is fine, and she can finally fly, then suddenly the woman started her whole routine all over again. It was maddening - Keep calm, she is just making sure it's fine, keep calm, it's going to be alright...

   Shadow huffed, waggling her tail a little. She was getting impatient as well. Everybody was probably pulling their hair out not knowing where the hell they are, and that good-for-nothing crystal was still not working.

   - I don't understand. Why the hell did she gave us this things if they never work when they are most needed? 

   Shadow, of course, couldn't answer to this question, but Ella learnt a long time ago that this didn't mean that she can't understand the emotions in her words. Noticing her confusion and frustration, she bumped her head on her leg the way she did whenever her friend would get sad. Ella couldn't help but smile, petting the direwolf on her back and scratching that favorite spot she loved so much. The animal dropped down and showed her stomach, demanding pets and scratches there as well. 

   - Haha, okay, okay, while we wait - Ella knelt down next to the direwolf and gave her the best belly-scratch her almost frozen fingers could provide. By the time the flight master called her name, her fingers actually managed to warm up which is always good for an archer. 

   - Okay, Miss - the elder woman pulled her coat tighter around her, and caressed the feathers of a determined looking griff who looked ready as ever to set out on the journey - Camille will take you to the border. Remember to say "Stop here Camille!" or she will flight right to Argent Stand. When you get off of her, she will turn right back, so you can't change your mind once you get down. You will arrive in maybe two hours at tops. Is everything clear?

   - Of course. Thank you - she stood up and took out the crystal from her pockets. Shadow looked at her with mild annoyance - Sorry, friend, but I can't put you on the back of a griff. You know the drill. Once we get there I will let you right out - the direwolf sighed, then closed her eyes. Touching the crystal to her head, a dim light wrapped around the animal, then she suddenly vanished, safe and secure in the gem.

   - That's a fancy trick you got there. You hunters can find all kind of solutions to bring your pets everywhere you go.

   - We have to get by somehow. 

   - I understand. Now, one last check before you- HEY! 

   Before the woman could finish her sentence, Ella was already on the griff, her heels signing the animal to take off. The animal rushed forward, wings stretched out, and they were flying through the sky in a moment's notice. The icey wind clawed at Ella's rose colored cheeks, but she was too excited to care about the cold. 

   Looking back, she saw the elder woman still yelling at her from the end of the deck, and even through her shoe after her. She would probably calm down after a few minutes, especially when she sees the tip Ella left her. 

   Finally, she was on her way. All she could hope for now is that she wasn't too late. 

 

***

 

   The griff was in top condition. The flight master said that arriving to the border would take maybe two hours, but she saw the unmistakable troll architecture maybe after not too much more than an hour after she left Amberpine Lodge. She was glad that she was almost there. The cold was getting to her, and she couldn't do much on top of the griff to warm herself up.

   Although the sun now shined down on her, it seemed like the air was only getting cooler with every miles she flew. Probably because she was heading north, but she had a feeling that there was more to it than simple geography.

   They almost reached the massive stairs that led up to the ruins of thr Drakkari Empire. There were no pines around it, only snow, and...

   Bodies. 

    _Are they dead, or undead?_

   She couldn't see from up-high, but she will soon be able to find out.  

   - Here, Camille!

   The griff screeched, then started to descent. The closer they got to the ground, the more details Ella was able to see on the corpses. They were drakkari trolls once - big, muscled, and blue, but now they were not more than a pile of frozen meat and bones, their sickly bluish-green color indicating that they have been like this for a long time.

   But they meant her no threat - when Camille landed in the soft, white snow, filling the air with it, she saw through the particles that these undead have been throughly dealt with.

   - Whoever did this must hate undead to their very core - she said to herself, getting off the animal, who didn't do as much as look at her, and she was in the air again - Well, thanks for the ride!

   The griff actually screeched back at her before she got out of ear-shot. Ella smiled. Let it come from a humanoid or an animal, manners were always welcome.

   Ella walked up to the corpses that were almost entirely covered by snow and ice. She didn't want to come too close, as their were pieces of guts, skin, and other unidentifiable body parts scattered around the execution sight, which would stink like a kodo's backside, if the weather would be any warmer.

   - Gods, somebody was angry - she had a faint idea who this somebody would be, but she did not want to assume. She could always ask later - Well, have a good day guys!

   If she would have something with herself that she could use to light a fire with, she would probably burn the bodies. Although the drakkari trolls were an enemy, both in life and in death, their dead still deserved to be treated with honor. Maybe she could ask Frenca to burn them, if the dwarf decides to come back to Stormwind with her.

   She made a mental note to ask her, while she fished out her crystal to set Shadow free. The moment the direwolf was out, she sprinted through the virgin snow, not giving a single care about the dead trolls nearby. 

   - Somebody's giddy today! - Ella laughed, but that laugh died in her throat when she was suddenly tackled by the one hundred and ten pounds animal. Screaming when the cold snow touched her skin, the direwolf instantly jumped off of her, making a sound that eerily reminded Ella of laughter.

   - You... you crazy fur ball! - standing up fast, she made a snowball, and tossed it at the direwolf, who evaded it with ease - Stop right there!

   Ella realized that the direwolf just simply wanted to cheer her up. Shadow usually wasn't the most playful of pets, but the constant stress this quest put her in was felt by her friend, and she wanted to ease her mind with something. 

   Kneeling down in the snow, Ella whistled, calling her pet to her side. Shadow stopped, black ears perking, then trotted towards her, stopping just right before their noses touched. 

   Ella put her her hand on the animal's face fingers brushing off the snow. Shadow's breath came out in warm puffs, heating up her face. Smiling with gratefulness, she kissed the animal's black nose. 

   - Thank you, my friend. I love you too. 

   Standing up, she brushed off the snow of her clothes, but she couldn't do much about the thin layer of wetness that now covered them. She could only hope that the sun would warm up the air enough to dry them, but she didn't get her hopes too high up. 

   - Let's go, Shadow. We have a staircase that we have to climb. 

 

***

 

   The first step was the easiest. The two-hundredth on the other hand... and every step became icier as she got closer to the top... 

   She was panting like a dog by the time she got to the top of the stairs. Cold sweat run down her back that made her shiver, and seriously regretting not getting off the griff at the top. That would have beeb too risky, however. Zul'Drak had many places, nooks and crannies where one can hide away, and ambush the unsuspecting. The bottom of the stairs were a much safer option on the land on. 

   Even if she wasted an another hour. 

    _But still... I feel like throwing up..._

   Taking a shakey breath, Ella looked around. The weather didn't show mercy to this place either, and snow covered everything, from the paths, to the dead trees, and an uncertain amount of corpses scattered around the parameter. 

   - Woah. 

   Trolls, gutted the same way like the ones in Grizzly Hills. These ones were kind of fresh, however. They weren't burried in the snow, only various layers of ice. 

   - Hmm... What do you think? 

   It was at that moment that Shadow jumped up the last step. She was taking her precious time to get up, but she looked much better than Ella. 

   Sitting down next to her, she sniffed the air unintrested, if slightly disgusted. 

   - No dangers in sight, eh? - fixing her bow on her shoulder, she shook her head - Let's get to the meeting place. 

    Leaving behind the foreboding, yet well crafted stairs, Ella tried not to step on anything that was once part of a person, which wasn't easy considering the brutality of Najin's fighting style. Or, it could have been Yena who did all of this, but Ella highly doubted it. She fought alongside Yena once, and the draenei woman was cleaner in her methods. It must have been Najin Frostbite, the Death Knight.

   She didn't know much about Najin. He was a Death Knight, a troll, and he had a daughter named Mahel, who was currently working on improving herself to join their little guild of the Hopeless Madmen. 

   - Such a stupid name. 

   But it was accurate. So painfully accurate. 

   Ella wondered if Najin approved of his daughter's decision about joining them. She had no idea, since she met neither of the Frostbites yet, and honestly, she didn't really looked forward to meeting either of them, Najin in particular, especially after what Asmira said to her before she left Stormwind. 

   - Najin was a good friend of mine once. But that was before everything happened. Now, I am not so sure. And I fear he isn't either.  

   - You think... - before Ella could say anything, Asmira looked at her, silver eyes unreadable as always. She was much shorter than Ella, yet standing next to her, the hunter somehow felt smaller.

   - Three years have passed, yet he still didn't take a single step away from the past. Everybody who experienced what he has been through made their own decisions since then: Judan got himself an apprentice, Warren made peace with his brother, Rachel became a high-ranking commander of the Alliance, Katrane got her revenge and is now a well-payed assassin again, and Allister joined the Argent Crusade. Najin is the only one who didn't change in some way. He still didn't had talk with her daughter. Not even a word. Sometimes I feel like he acts like she doesn't exist, or more like _he_ , **_himself_** , doesn't exist.

   For a few moments, they both sat in silence, candle flickering on the table between them

   - And what does that mean?

   Silver eyes turned blue, cold, like the ice on the windey tundra. 

   - It means that I'm afraid he is lost forever.

   Growling shook her up from her daydreaming. Stopping in her tracks, she looked at Shadow, who showed her teeth, ready to tear apart the thing that's smell she just catched and did not find friendly. Ella quickly drew her weapon, along with an arrow. They were surrounded by dead trees, and the snow here was for some reason deeper than before. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice.

   But now she did notice the drakkari tower not far from where they were. It stood like a giant, dark and menacing. The rest of her party was supposed to be there, but now she was sure that they no longer were they. The thing that Shadow smelled was too close to the tower, and Ella was sure her party wouldn't allow anything hostile to just waltz around their meeting place.

   Finding out where they went wasn't her main concern yet. Looking around, she didn't drew her arrow back yet, it would only tire herself out. 

   - Where is it, friend? - she whispered, and Shadow suddenly bolted towards a tree not too far from their right, and in that exact moment, an undead troll stepped out from behind the tree.

   The wind changed, and it's putrid smell blew right in Ella's face - Oh Gods! - she cursed, drewing her arrow. The undead was big - almost too big to hide behind that tree, an action which slightly confused Ella. Undead didn't hide, they didn't need to do that. This particular undead wasn't anything special either. It was exactly like the others she saw along the way. Some of it's bones were visiable, it's hide was rotting, and it's eyes were the same sickly green color.

   But, unlike the others, this one moved. And it moved fast. It dodged the lunging direwolf, and sprinted towards Ella, lifting one of his hands, and hurling a throwing axe at her. She evaded it at the last second, but when she wanted to give back the favor and fire an arrow, the troll was already there right in front of her, and before she could scream, it's ice-cold hands wrapped around her neck and lifted her into the air. 

   - You son of a... - her cursing was cut short, along with her air. She tried kick the troll in the chest to get it let go off her, but the thing was like a stone - hard and unmovable. Next, she tried to reach for her dagger on her hips, but her clumsy fingers simply couldn't grasp the handle. 

   Fear settled in her chest, along with the need to breath. She felt like she was dying, her lungs hurt, her neck hurt, the darkness crept upon her vision, and the undead was staring at her, green eyes empty and unblinking. 

   Then, a black, fuzzy head came into the view, and for a moment Ella thought that Kaine somehow found her and came to her aide in the last second. But when sharp teeth snapped around the troll's wide neck, and with a piercing crunch yanked it in a way it's isn't supposed to bend, she realized that Shadow was her savior. 

   The troll let go off her, and she fell in the snow, the impact worsening the pain she felt in her chest. She coughed and wheezed, air flooding her lungs. 

   She blinked back tears as she looked up at the still moving troll, and her direwolf who jumped on it's back tearing into it's neck. The troll's hands suddenly shot up, grasping at the she-wolf's fur, and yanked the animal off it's back, throwing her away over Ella's head. 

   Ella didn't have time to hesitate: she rolled out from the troll's way, drewing her dagger. She had to slow it down, and Shadow just gave her an idea. 

   - Hey, you ugly son of a bitch! - the troll was instantly upon her, it's long arms trying to catch her, but it wasn't as easy for it, considering it's head wasn't on his neck as it should be. Ella used it to her advantage, as she ducked under the undead's arm, gagging a little from it's smell, and when she was behind it, she jumped on it's back, and helding on herself on it's shoulders, she swiftly brought down her dagger, slicing at it's eyes.

   The undead didn't do as much as screamed, it's nerves died a long time ago. However, now it was blind, the remains of it's ugly eyeballs dripping down on it's rotten face. It tried to grasp Ella the same way it did with Shadow, but the hunter was prepared for it, and jumped off it's back before the undead could get a hold of her.

   She wasn't prepared for it's next move, however. It turned around, head hanging in an akward position, face in a horrifying grimace, sliced up eyes, green stuff all over it's face - and the smacked Ella right in the head.

   She flew backwards a few feet, head in a terrible pain, dagger lost somewhere in the snow. She lifted her head, and all she could see was stars, a blind undead troll walking around aimlessly, trying to locate her, and - her bow, sticking out of the snow not far from her... She tried to stand up, but she suddenly kneeled into something sharp in the snow, that made her scream out in pain.

   The undead heared her, and with a blood-curling cry, dashed towards her. It almost fell right on her, but she was able to, with a bleeding knee, get out of it's way. It fell on it's stomach, but it started to get up the moment it was down. Ella's head was still pounding, but she was able to pick up her bow, and pulled out another arrow from her quiver.

   When the undead was almost back on it's legs, she fired an arrow right into it's-

   No, she missed.

   She fired another. 

   She missed again. 

   - Dammit!

   She just couldn't focus. The troll was now standing, covered in snow, and when it heared her curse, it hit towards her general direction again. It was a clumsy attempt, and she was able to dodge, but the moment she was on her feet, she lost her balance, and fell back on her ass.

   She fired another arrow, and it finally hit her target. Not in the head, but in the chest, which was enough to make it take a step back - but not enough to take it down. She had to destroy the head, but her aim just wasn't good enough.

   She didn't realize that she was just staring at the troll until it was too late. It was almost in front of her, it's fist ready to pummel her head into bloody mess.

   This time, she did scream. Her voice broke the silence. 

 

***

 

   She was laying in the snow for at least a minute now, eyes shut thight, arms shielding the face from the attack that now will never come. She didn't realize this, however. Her injury probably was even worse than what he first thought. 

   When she finally moved, she was slow like a panther before pouncing - without the grace of the cat, of course. Dark brown eyes appeared from under the short, blond locks that didn't focus as well as they should. First, she looked at the sky, then at her hands, then at the drakkari who was frozen in it's movement, it's body covered in solid ice. She blinked, at just stared at it without a word. 

   She was in shock, probably. 

   He gripped his sword tighter, and with a well-practiced swing, he shattered the ice, cutting the undead in half. Shards scattered around in the snow, one almost hitting the girl in the eye, but she was able to turn her face away in the last second. If she didn't do it, she would be blind now.

   - How long do you want to lay in da snow? 

   Now, only now she looked at him. Her eyes were devoided from any emotion for a few seconds, but slowly, as she watched his cold, stern expression never changing, realization lighted up her eyes, followed by a weak voice that made him want to end her as well. 

   - Najin... 


End file.
